The effectiveness of structural family therapy on satisfying the basic psychological needs of athlete couples

Family and couples may have difficulties in various functions and variables, including the basic psychological needs. Research has shown the effectiveness of structural family therapy on various variables, but the basic psychological needs of athlete couples have been neglected.

This study was conducted aiming to determine the effectiveness of structural family therapy on satisfying the basic psychological needs of athlete couples.

This research was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design with experimental group and control group. The statistical population of this study consisted of all athlete couples of the city of Tehran in 2018. From this community, 40 couples were selected by convenience sampling and were randomly assigned to two experimental (20 couples) and control groups. Participants completed the Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale (Gnieh, 2003). Then, the Minuchin Structural Therapy Family Intervention (2013) was administered to the experimental group but no intervention was performed for the control group. The data were analyzed by analysis of covariance.

The results of multivariate analysis of covariance and post hoc tests showed that structural family therapy had significant effects on satisfying the basic psychological needs of athletic couples and its components of self-efficacy, competence and relationship (p<0/001).

Structural family therapy can be used to satisfy the basic psychological needs of athlete couples and thus improve the quality of life of couples.